Becoming a realtor: starting your new career the right way

Becoming a realtor: starting your new career the right way

Posted by Team Digital on April 3, 2017.

Helping someone to find their dream home: we think it’s one of the best feelings there is. If you decide to become a realtor, this feeling will be your daily reality. Before you step onto the path towards starting a new career as a real estate agent, here is your essential guide of what to expect, and how to handle your first year as a real estate agent.

1. Selling can be tough

In the early days of your career, your task is to build a name for yourself and create your own level of expertise. Houses are huge commitments for your buyers, so they need to know that you’re the right realtor for them when they sell or buy a property. Many of your clients will come from references, which means that your first days as the new agent on the block may be tough. Take time to build up a client list of people you work with and make sure you work on your relationship skills. Those friendly testimonials about your expertise will be key for gaining new clients moving forwards, so make sure you remain polite and courteous, even through the busiest of days.

2. Get your name out there

In the early days of your career as a realtor, it’s time to network. Look out for opportunities to connect, network and engage through joining local or global real estate associations. This will give potential clients a place to find you. When entering one of your first real estate jobs, it’s important to integrate your new profession into your online presence and ensure there’s a way for clients to easily and quickly look you up online.

3. Measure and analyse your efforts

You’re only just becoming a realtor and are new to the game, so a few missteps and mistakes can be forgiven – as long as you learn from them. Your first years as an estate agent will give you countless opportunities to test, learn and evolve; just make sure you’re always looking back and evaluating what’s worked and what hasn’t. Similarly, make it a habit to reflect on your sales funnel – the method by which you turn your cold leads into customers, and how effective and streamlined this process is. Do you consistently lose prospects at the same stage? Is there something you can do to make a buyer or seller’s life easier?

4. Get to know your market

Your first years becoming a realtor will require you to to grips with your chosen market, whether you work internationally or close to home. This will help you understand the seasonal nature of the property market you’re working with as well as your most likely client demographic. Depending on where you work, different areas will also have contrasting laws and rules to abide by. To become an effective – and successful – estate agent, you will need to study these rules and know them back to front.